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Recipe for Traditional Guobaorou

Guobaorou is a famous dish from Northeast China, created by Zheng Xingwen, a chef at the Daotai Mansion in Harbin during the Guangxu era. The sour flavor of traditional Guobaorou comes from white vinegar juice, resulting in a sweet and sour, crispy taste.

Traditional Guobaorou

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Pork tenderloin
  • Green onion
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Carrot (optional)
  • Cilantro
  • White vinegar (It is recommended to use 9-degree vinegar to achieve the distinctive aroma of traditional Guobaorou)
  • White sugar
  • Cooking wine
  • Salt
  • MSG
  • Potato starch
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • White roasted sesame seeds (optional)
  • Cooking oil

Quantities

Per serving (serves approximately 2):

  • Pork tenderloin: 300g
  • Cooking wine: 5ml
  • Green onion: 50g
  • Ginger: 30g
  • Garlic: 3-4 cloves
  • Carrot: 10g (optional)
  • Cilantro: 10g
  • Baking soda: 5g (optional)
  • Salt: 5g
  • Light soy sauce: 4g
  • White vinegar: 55g
  • White sugar: 65g
  • Corn starch: 1.5g (can be substituted with potato starch)
  • Method 1: Potato starch: 170g
  • Method 2: Potato starch: 210g and All-purpose flour: 70g
  • Cooking oil: 1000ml (for frying)
  • White roasted sesame seeds: 5g (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Pork:
  2. Cut the pork tenderloin into uniform slices with a thickness of 8mm, removing any white fascia.
  3. Rinse the meat slices with clear water to remove blood.
  4. Optional: Add 5g of baking soda, mix well, and let sit for 5 minutes.

  5. Rinse with clear water 1-2 times to remove excess baking soda.

  6. Marinate the Meat:

  7. Add 3g of salt and 5ml of cooking wine to the meat slices, mix well, and marinate for 15 minutes.

  8. Coat the Meat:

  9. Method 1 (Recommended):
    • Add 170g of potato starch to an excessive amount of clear water, stir well, and let sit for 60 minutes to allow the starch to settle and separate.
    • Pour off all the clear water from the top, retaining the starch paste at the bottom (which has a non-Newtonian fluid consistency).
    • Add the meat slices, 5ml of clear water, and 3ml of cooking oil to the paste, and mix well.

  10. Method 2:

    • Mix 210g of potato starch with 70g of all-purpose flour.
    • Add clear water in small amounts multiple times, stirring until the mixture reaches a yogurt-like consistency. It should be stretchy when lifted and able to pile up in the bowl.
    • Add 10ml of cooking oil and 1g of baking soda, and mix well.
    • Place the marinated meat slices into the batter, mix well, and ensure each slice is evenly coated.

  11. Prepare the Sweet and Sour Sauce:

  12. Mix 65g of white sugar, 55g of white vinegar, 4g of light soy sauce, and 2g of salt. Stir well and set aside.

  13. Optional: Add 4g of water and 1.5g of cornstarch to make the sauce thicker.

  14. Prepare the Garnishes:

  15. Julienne the scallions, ginger, and carrots. Cut the cilantro into segments, and slice the garlic.

  16. Fry the Meat Slices:

  17. First Frying:
    • Add cooking oil to the pan and heat it to 170°C (60% hot).
    • Place the meat slices into the oil one by one. Fry until the surface sets, the coating stops sticking to chopsticks, the meat floats, and the color turns light yellow. This takes about 30 seconds (depending on the size of the slices). Remove and set aside.
  18. Second Frying:
    • Increase the oil temperature to 200°C (70% hot).
    • Add all the meat slices to the oil. Fry until the crust is golden and crispy, about 30 seconds. Remove and set aside.

  19. Third Frying (Optional):

    • Increase the oil temperature to 220°C (80% hot).
    • Quickly re-fry the meat slices until you see a reddish hue through the yellow crust, about 30 seconds (depending on the oil's ability to maintain temperature). This enhances crispiness. Remove and drain the oil.

  20. Stir-fry:

  21. Leave 20ml of base oil in the pan. Pour in the prepared sweet and sour sauce and heat over high heat until boiling. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 30-60 seconds.
  22. Optional: Remove half of the sweet and sour sauce to make the subsequent stir-frying easier.

  23. Add the fried meat slices, scallion shreds, garlic slices, carrot shreds, and cilantro segments. Pour the reserved sweet and sour sauce over them. Stir-fry quickly 3 times to ensure the sauce coats the meat slices evenly.

  24. Plating:

  25. Transfer the Guo Bao Rou to a plate. Sprinkle with white roasted sesame seeds (optional) and serve.

Additional Content

  • Notes:
  • The thickness of the meat slices should be 8mm. Too thick or too thin will affect the texture.
  • Control the oil temperature during frying to avoid a crust that is too dark or not crispy enough. This is very important.

  • When simmering the sweet and sour sauce, ensure it thickens but does not clump or turn into a syrup.

  • References:

  • Lao Fan Gu Version
  • Lao Dongbei Food Version
  • Cun Lü Version

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.